Game apparatus.



W. EASTER.

GAME APPARATUS.

APPLIUATION FILED JUNE 6, 1914.

1,1 1 9,4t5%, Patented Dec. 1, 1914 2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

zdm 5965: UQ/ZZU]? ,4? M K Q W. EASTER.

GAME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 6,1914.

1 1 9,45%" 7 Patented- Dec. 1, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

neon.

WALTHER EASTER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 OLYMPIA GAMES COMPANY,

- OF CHICAGQ ILLINOIS, A COIZIOBA'I'ION OF ILLINOIS.

GAME APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 11, 1914.

To all whom. it may concern Be it known that I, WALTHER Ras'rnu, citizenof the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook andState of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inGame Apparatus; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My invention relates to game apparatus and more particularly to anapparatus for enabling two players (or a larger number of players takingtwo sides) to play a game according to the standard rules of foot-ball.

One object of my invention is to provide a game apparatus which willoffer each player the choice of the usual variety of lays as ordinarilyavailable to the side hol ing the ball, and in which each of the saidplays will permit of the various results encountered with the respectiveplays in foot-ball as actually played out of doors.

Another object of my invention is to rovide for each of a number ofdifferent ays consecutively undertaken by the p ayer nominally inpossession of the ball a series of alternative results, the possibleresults in each series being so balanced as to offer substantially thesame probabilities of favorable and unfavorable results in the case ofeach group of consecutive plays.

A further object is to provide a ame in which the attempts at kickingoal rom the field will increase in the proba 1e favorable outcome inproportion as such a play is made from points nearer the goal.

Other objects of my invention are to provide a dial and indicator arranement in which the indication of the resu ts of the.

play may readily be ascertained with certainty and to provide anauxiliary indicator for showing the play or move in the game assumed tobe undertaken in each instance on the grid-iron.

Still other objects of my invention are to provide a simple and cheaplyconstructed support for a rotating disk, to equip the retating member ofsuch a game apparatus with means for limiting the relative tilting ofthe latter without straining the relatively fragile disk, and to providemeans for read- 11y increasing or decreasing the friction encountered bythe rotating member in moving upon its pivot.

Still other objects will be apparent from the following specificationand from the drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of a gameembodying the various features of my invention. Fig. 2 is a fragmentaryvertical section through Fig. 1 along the line 22. Fig. 3 is an enlargedvertical section through Fig. 1 alon the line 3-3. Fig. 4 is afragmentary p an view of the rotating disk forming part of the game.

in the embodiment of the drawings, the game of my invention is shown asmounted in a rectangular box 1 having a block of wood 2 centrallydisposed upon the bottom thereof. Screwed into the said block or base 2and extending vertically above the same is a metal standard or post 3equipped with a rounded upper end 4 engaging the correspondingly roundedupper end of the vertical bore 5 of a knob or socket member 6. Securedto the lower end of the said knob 6 by fastening means such as screws 7is a disk or dial 8 of'cardboard or other suitable material, whichdisk-is imprinted with a series of markings arranged between concentriccircles as shown in Fig. 4. When the said post, knob and disk are intheir above described relative positions, as shown in Fig. 3, it will beobvious that the end 4 of the post forms a ivotal mounting for the saidknob and dis K, thereby permitting the latter two members to be readilyrotated about or spun upon the said post by manually grasping andtwirling the knob 6. The bore 5 of the knob is preferably considerablylarger in diameter than the post 3 so as to prevent a frictionalengagement between the main portion of said bore and the circumferentialfaces of the post. However, such a difference in size between the saidbore and the exterior of the post might be apt tfikdpmage the relativelyfr central; drtions oi? the dis a ai' 'nst esaibtpost: To'a'voi thisan'to a rd a guide for limiting the relative tiltat}: "of the knob withrespect to the p 'ostyjl preferably enlarge the said bore '5 of the knobat its lower end and slip into the enlarged portion of the bore a metalwasher posed play before the disk 8 is rotated by ma hsi aaas i y t K Ag The said enlarged 'pdrtibn ot the bore.'

metal Washer is also preferably'ofsuch height as to be clam ed betweenthe smaller hnredportien rl of the knob and the-inner the disk: when thesaidj disk i's 'secured'to the' knob by the screw 7. "It willbE"0bVlb}lS 'irom FigB that by nipping the eaibhwivasherf With' a 'bore'smal er' than 20 that of"the"disk" fifths edge of the'said washer willbear against the-post f3 to limit the"tiltiug"of'the knob 4(and'consequently of the disk- 8) with respect t dthe'said post, therebyalso preventing "the said post 3 from hearing against and damaging theinner portion fi of'the' said disk. I It will also be evident that b,rounding both the-top of the post 4' and t 'e upper end of therecess orbore 5' of the said knob, I 'can'provide a 'votal mounting for the knoband disk which war afford a moderate "amount of friction, therebycausing'thediskto' come to rest with more certainty than if the post andknob were-e nipped with coiiperating conical ortions. orcover, thefriction between t e said" members can readily be reduced by rubbing asuitable anti-friction material, such as graphite, upon the' upper endof the post; or the said frictionmay be increased by rubbing chalk uponthe upper end of the said post.

Mounted within the box 1 and supported by depending flanges 12 is acover plate 13', which plate is disposed slightly above the disk Band isequipped with a central perforation permitting theknob 6'to projectupwardly above the saidplate 13. The plate 13 is provided with asubstantially sectorshaped openin eizposing a portion of the disk 8,which} isk carries a plurality or se-. ries of markings'arr'anged in theconcentric rings numbers respectively as 14,to 25 inclusive' The 'oposite edges of the said opening in the p ate 13 preterably extendradially of thefcommon axis of thedisk 8 and post3, so as to intersect:all'of thesaid rings substantially radially. Adjacent to each of thesaid, lateral edges of the said opening in the plate 13, the said plateis provided with a series ofmarkings arranged in" twelve parallel fieldsextending substantially at right angles to the said edges of theopening; which fields carry "desiations cane socket as, n i the strecars. einee ar ed 'interchangeabkli jto reqe-"ve "a play-designating eg"27 Which peg is inserted into e said sockets to indicate the row r O:manipulating the knob 65.

Each of the concentric rings upon the disk .8is 'divided'i'nto 'a seriesof fields marked to correspond with the various results obtainable bythe plays indicated upon the field eachhdf the said rings "beingproportioned substantially in accordance with theprobabilities erthere'sults ae'tual'ly'observ' d with similar plays inactu'al practice.For examleyjin tryingtbforc'e the'ball through the iine'by a center,play, as implied by the outer rim 14',"again'of'otie yard is much' morepro able than one of twenty yards, Whil'ea gain of twent" yards islikewise'more probable 'than'a' ve'yard penalty'forth'e o ponent.Consequently, the divisions of the said'ring areproportioned to the saidprob abilities of progress or. ground gaining. lLike'w'ise', referringto ring 17 which corresponds to an attempted forward pass, anincomplete, pass is much more. probable than either anjintercepted' passor a; gain of round, while a gain often yards is more ighlypi obablcthan one or sixty yards, and the "'t'lorrespohdingly' marl'zcd'divisions are pro ortioned accordingly." ,t iv

If will' be obvious that in playing according to "the" accepted rules offoot-ball, each layer will continue to Play as longas' he is in,nominalpossession o the ball, so that the number "of, consecutive timeswhich each player rotates'the disk'may vary greatly. To allow .for'th'isvariation, I, preferably proportion the divisions in the respectiverings in sucha way that while no two rings are similarly divided; theprobability. of

gaining ground 'by the consecutive plays during whidh a'player hasnominal possession' 'of the ball 'will be substantiallythe same for 'all"er the'ringsf Without such a balancing oif'the propk'ir'tio'natedivisions of the respectively interchangeable rings" ,orseriesofmarkings, any oneconversant with such a game apparatus mightsemi learn t'o.

rules of foot-be #1. Centerplay. #8. End play. #8. Fake play. figs!Yards '7 02 Yards 7 of Yards 7 of Yards 7 o! of gain. riiig. otgaln. r113. otgain. ring gain. 1' ng 4 8 6 8 b 16 6 8 a 12 6 1B 8 24 2 18 2 801 24 0 10 0 16 0 25 lncomp Av 8.0 90 Av.8.6 90 Av.4.0 Pb Av.4 5 80 *IL.8 -2L. 8 2L. 6 +51 6 2L'. 2 +5L. 2 6L. 2 +81 6 5L. 8 a! 4 -61. 2 --BP. 1-5P. 2 -51 1 --15 P. 1 -16 P. 1 -16 P. 1 -15 P 1 +61. 1 +51. 2 +61. 1+51 2 15 P. 1 +16 P. 1 +15 P. 1 +16 P 1 (News: P, Penalty; I,intercepted ball; L, Lost ball.)

.vide a manually movable indicator 29 for showing the number of downsalready undertaken by the side holding the ball and preferably imprintthe plate 13 with the plan 30 representing a foot-ball field, the saidfield being laid off in yard lines, thereby enabling the player toinsert a pin or other suitable indicator at the proper yard line todesignate the position of the ball at the time that the play is started.I also preferably equip the game apparatus with two pair of scoreindicators 31 for indicating the respective scores of the two players.

In using the ap aratus as above described, the first player 0 oses theinitial play and designates the same by inserting the peg 27 in one ofthe sockets 26, whereupon he rotates the disk 8 by means of the knob 6.When the disk comes to rest, the intersection of the indicator wire 28with the rin alining with the said position of the peg 2 will indicatethe result of the attempted play. Then the pin indicating the ball willbe moved upon the field 30 and the play will proceed from one player tothe other just as the ball passes from one side to the other in theactual game of foot-ball.

It will be obvious from the markings that attempts to kick goal from thefield can only e made from points comparativel near to the goal, such asthose corres 0nd ing to the rings 21, 22 and 23. It wil also be obviousthat in attempting such a goal kick from the field, the probability 0actual success will increase with the nearness to the goal. I,therefore, preferably provide the said rings 21 to 23 inclusive withmarkings in which the probability of scoring a goal kick increases withthe nearness to the goal. I also preferably provide the game apparatusof my invention with a suitable cover 31 as indicated in dotted lines inFig. 2; however, I do not wish to be limited to this or other details ofmy game apparatus as herein shown and described, as the same mightbevaried in many ways without departing from the spirit of my invention.For example, the soc cet 6 is preferably of wood, but might be of fiberor other relatively. hard material, while the annular element 9, whichis rigid with respect to the said socket, might be of hard rubber orfiber instead of metal.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a game apparatus, in combination with a vertical post and astationary indicator, a rotatable member equipped with a plurality ofdesignations adapted to pass in proximity to the said indicator when thesaid member is rotated; the said member including a downwardly opensocket havin a bore larger than the diameter of the saic post, the upperends of thesaid bore and post coacting to form a pivotal support for thesaid rotatable member and permitting a tilting of the latter withrespect to the post; and an annular guard element rigid witi respect tothe socket and having a ore smaller than the said bore of the socket;the bore of the annular element being normally out of engagement withsaid post,. but adapted to engage therewith upon relative tilting of therotatable member with respect to the post to'limit the extent of thesaid tilting.

2. A foot-ball game apparatus including relatively rotatable dial andindicator members, the former having a plurality of relativeprogressdesignating markings arranged in fields of interchangeablyselectparticular ring or rings selected for the said plays.

f nitigants apparatus including relatively "rotatable dial and indicatormembers, the

' former having a plurality of relative progrose-designating markingsarranged in concentric rings; a plate covering a portion of the saiddial and presenting an edge overlapping all of the said concentricrings, and an auxiliary indicator movably positioned upon'said plateadjacent to the said edge.

' 4:- A game apparatus including relatively rotatable dial and indicatormembers, the former having a plurality of relative progress-designatingmarkings arranged in concentric rings, a late covering a portion of thesaid dial an presenting an edge'overlapping all of the said concentriccircles and equipped with socket formations alining respectively withthe said rings, and an auxiliary indicator removably mounted in one ofthe said sockets.

5. A foot-ball game apparatus including relatively rotatable dial andindicator mem bers, the former having a plurality of relativeprogress-designating markings arranged in concentric rings forindicating the result of attempted field goal kicks, the respectiverings corresponding to various distances from the goal, the markings inthe respective rings so proportioned that the probability of having agoal kick indicated by the said members after relative rotation thereofwill vary inversely with the said distances from the goal.

6. A game apparatus including dial and indicator members one thereofstationary table centrally perforated disk, a vertical post, a manuallyrotatable knob pivotally supported upon the upper end of said Getand'having a bore of larger diameter t an said post, fastening means forsecuring the disk to the lower end of said knob, and a washer at thelower end of said knobconcentric with said bore and havin its opening oflarger diameter than sai bore and of smaller diameter than theperforation in said disk and adapted to prevent the mouth portion ofsaid bore and the wall of the v narrate opeaingzn the disk" from bearinagainst 8."A port; a isk rotatably mounted thereon and imprinted with aplurality of relative progrosedesignating markin s, acover ositionedover the said disk an e uippe with an opening exposing a sector-s apedportion of the latter, and an indicator rigidly disposed across the said0 ening substantially radially of the said disk 1 9. A foot-ballgame'apparatus including relatively rotatable dial and indicatormembers, the former having a plurality of relative progress-designatingmarks arranged in concentric rings for indicating the result ofattempted field goal kicks, the respective rings corresponding tovarious distances from the goal; the goal-kick indicating markings inthe respective rings being substantially in radial alinement, and thecircumferential length of said markings increasing inversely with .theindicated distlzanlcres rom the goal of the attempted goal 10. A gameapparatus including relatively rotatable dial and indicator members, theformer having a plurality of relative progress-designating markingsarranged in concentric rings, a plate covering a portion plateandiemovable from one to another of the said fields:

11. A game apparatus & including relatively rotatable dial and indicatormembers, the former having a-plurality of relative progress-designatingmarkings arranged in fields in interchangeably selectable concentriorings; each of said rings including fields of varying lengths with theirrespective lengths and the indications thereon so proportioned that theprobabilities of' total progress indicated as the result of plays by thesaid indicator during the successive rotations of the dial correspondingto one players consecutive manipulations of the apparatus will be'substantially the heme regardless of the particular ring or ringsselected for said plays.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name in presence of twosubscribing wit- M. M. BOYLE, G. M. NEVILLE.

